Improvement in locking nut



reference being had einem seca @anni chimica WiLLlAM MOREHoUsF, OF BUFFALO, NEW YonK.-

Letters Patent No. 90,377, dated .May 25, 1869.

IMPROVEMENT IN LOCKING NUT.

The Schedule referred to in these Lcters Patent and making part of the same.

To all whmn it ma/y concern.-`

Be it lrnown that I, WILLIAM MoREHoUsn, otl Buffalo, in the county of Erie, and State of New York, have invented a new and improved Device for Locking Nuts on Bolts; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof', to the accompanying drawings, making part of this specification, in which- Figure l is a view of portions of two railroad-secl tions united by fish-bars, and having my locking-dex ment on devices for preventing nuts from casually working loose on their bolts7 which is applicable to the railroad-rail bolts, as well as to `bolts for other purposes.

The nature of`my invention consists in a curved,

spring-plate, which is perforated to receive through it a bolt, and which is provided at .such perforation with a fixed rin g-washer, having an external radially-waved surface1 adapted for receiving against it a corresponding surface that should be formed on the nutintended for said bolt, as will be hereinafter explained.

I am aware that washers having radially-waved snrfaces have been used in conjunction with nuts, whose bearing-surfaces were correspondingly waved; and I am also aware that spring-washers, or plates, have been interposed between nuts and the object against which they pressed, but I am not aware that a spring-lookin g plate, constructed as will be hereinafter explained, has ever been known or used prior to my invention.

To enable others skilled in the art to understand my invention, I will describe its construction and operation.

The rail-sections A A and sh-bars B B are constructed and tted 4together in the usual well-known manner. p

The bolts E E have square or oblong shoulders c c formed on them next their heads, which enlargements c ct into corresponding recesses formed in one of the bars, B, as shown in iig. 2. This prevents the bolts 'from turning when in their places.

G represents a plate of steel, which is made of suitable width and length as not to .turn when applied as shown in figs. l and 2, and which is curved or bowed, so that its extremities only will bear against the fishbar B, when set up.

At the middle ofthe length and width of this springplate, a hole is iliade of suilcientsize to receive loosely through it the bolt E, and surrounding this hole on the outer side of the plate, aring-washer,l1, is secured fast by means of rivets i t', formed on its fiat side, which pass through holes made through the plate, as shown in iig. 2.

The outer surface a of the washer is corrugated, or waved radially.

The washer l1 may be made of brass, or other suitable metal, cast or pressed into shape by suitable dies.

The nut D has its inner surface a corrugated radi-r ally, to correspond with `the surface a' of the washer, and to engage with this latter surface when setup tightly on its bolt, as shown in figs. 2 and 3.

The spring-plate C, with its corrugated washer l), when used in conjunction with a nut having a corrugated face, serves two purposes, which I will now explain.

When the partsA and BBare-secured together by the bolt E, and its nut D, with the spring-plate C, hetween the nut and a fish-bar, as shown, the spring will yield suiciently to accommodate itself to the expansion and contraction-of said parts, and will keep the washer b hard pressed against the nut D.

By the strong pressure which is applied to the springplate C, it is prevented from turning about the bolt E, although it is not recessed into the ufish-bar, nor caused to abut Vagainst the base of the rail.

The corrugations on the washer and nut meshing into one another, will prevent the nut from casually working loose upon its bolt, although, by the use of a nut-wrench, the spring C can be caused to yield sutiiciently to allow the unscrewing of the nut when required.

While my improvement is especially applicable and useful 'for railroad-rails, it is also useful for all purposes where it is required to prevent nuts from casually turnp ing loose.

If desirable, the spring C may be made short enough to extend between the lip and base of the rail, or crosswise of the fish-bar, instead of lengthwise of this bar, as above described.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, isy The within-described spring-plate C, of bowing form, and with corrugated, or serrated projections'b a', cuits surface, the said spring and projection being united together, and used in, connection with ascrew-nutand bolt, all in the manner and for the purpose herein shown and described,

Witness my hand, in matter of my application for a patent for improvement in locking nuts.

WM. MOREHOUSE. Witnesses:

W. O. FRANcIs, E. O. DANFORTH. 

